


Across Time: Book Two

by GokuGirl



Series: Across Time [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Lemon, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2004-01-30
Updated: 2004-01-30
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:25:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4411997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GokuGirl/pseuds/GokuGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After fleeing Crenix, Kilan and Sen stumble upon a hidden underground society.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This _is_ a Dragon Ball fanfic despite the fact that it may not seem like one most of the time. In Part Two things become clearer so, if you can wait that long, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. *** = scene change, ~*~ = time period change.
> 
> I will probably rewrite this some day in the future.

For the third day in a row, Vegeta and Goku resumed reading right after breakfast. They didn't spar, they didn't visit their children -- all energy was focused on a small story in their people's past. ****

"Whose turn is it?" Goku asked curiously. The second chronological book lay before them on the coffee table, its fascinating contents simply begging to be devoured.

"Does it matter, Kakarotto?"

He took a moment to consider the question. "Iie, I guess not."

Still, it was Vegeta who opened the front cover and paused to give his opinion on the entire story. "Saiya-jin are notoriously bad at relationships. I don't think they'll last more than a few months."

"Why are you being so negative? _We_ lasted more than a few months, you know."

"Well, we're a fluke." Without any further conversation on the subject, he began to read.

~*~

_While no relationship is perfect, this one seems to be closer than any I've ever seen. After leaving Crenix, Sen and Kilan endured many hardships and difficulties that would have torn apart an ordinary couple. They are special, they are blessed, they have everything we secretly want to obtain._

_Allyn -- 30th Ryn, 1st year of King Vegeta's rein_

***

The desert was a very unfriendly place. During daylight hours, the temperature soared so high one felt close to baking, while during the night it was so cold that it took all your effort not to shake uncontrollably. Sen and Kilan discovered quickly the merit of body-covering loose robes and traveling by starlight.

Thad had seen them off as soon as Sen was well enough to travel. Every day until that moment he'd begged and pleaded for them to stay just a little while longer, fearing that he would never see them again if they didn't. Sen told him with the utmost sincerity that he would definitely make visits back to his hometown. This was said in that new quiet way of his, mild and affable. He hadn't told a joke since before the disastrous wedding, hadn't laughed in so long they could barely remember the sound. Sen was changed forever. It was as if the events of two weeks previous had sucked all the life from his body.

As they traveled along the vaguely marked trail left behind by merchants, Kilan wondered how he could bring back the old Sen. He missed the cheerful teenager whose spirit was as lively as candle flame. This new Sen, with his subdued manner and ancient eyes, frightened him. He didn't know what to say or do to make things better.

"Where are we going?" his beloved asked when, in the past, it wouldn't have mattered. ' _Let things turn out the way they want to,_ ' he would have said. ' _We'll be okay._ ' Kilan, who liked to have everything organized and well-planned, would have been the one to worry day and night.

"I don't know."

Now, things were very different. Sen was parent to Kilan's child. As he limped along on a leg that may never be fine again, he wondered how his life would be from now on. Was he promised many happy years with his Kilandreau? The way he felt, he wasn't sure if he would survive another few _hours_. His body hurt all over, a wave of perpetual pain that never ebbed. Complaint never passed his lips nor did misery show on his face. For all the pain he felt, he would surely hurt more if Kilan rejected the burden he caused.

Days they walked, supplies dwindling and spirits low. Kilan had a vague notion of where the next nearest city to Crenix was located and swore aloud every few hours that it wasn't much farther. When the water skin ran dry he knew that they were going to die in the middle of nowhere.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed in the dawning light. His barriers, weakened by fatigue and despair, crumbled. Never before had so much emotion poured forth from him. Kilan collapsed to his knees and buried his face in them. "We should have never left! Maybe, in time, they would have come to accept us."

"Maybe," was all that Sen said. He curled around Kilan and transmitted silently what he could not say aloud.

As the light grew brighter and the air more heated, they held each other tightly as Death crept closer to claim them. Not a word passed between them -- though none were needed -- and within a few hours, their throats became too parched to form them.

By the dawn of the fifth day, Kilan felt his life fading. Sen hadn't moved in several hours -- whether merely sleeping, unconscious, or dead he didn't know -- and his own body was deadening, his vision growing dark. He didn't try to hold onto consciousness, instead welcoming the peaceful oblivion that would later bring death.

"I love you, Sen," he mouthed before slipping into the darkness.

~*~

"Oh no, oh no," Goku repeated continuously in a stricken voice. He broke off mid-phrase and grabbed Vegeta tightly by the shoulders. "Please don't tell me that they died!"

"Everyone dies eventually, baka." He rolled his eyes and then smiled very slightly. "Kakarotto, has there been any mention of Allyn beyond the foreword?"

He blinked, the words taking several seconds to penetrate the thick fog of grief surrounding his brain. "Well, no..." Then he allowed himself fragile hope. "Th- they didn't meet him yet?"

A larger smile was his answer.

The fragile thread of hope grew stronger and solidified into a thick rope. With a happy laugh, he enfolded Vegeta into a hug so fierce it stole his breath away. "Thanks for calming me down," he said sincerely. "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."

Vegeta, truthfully, didn't see how he was so important to Goku -- if anything, it was the other way around. He didn't say a word, however. Silently the book was handed to Goku who dutifully began exactly where his mate had left off.

~*~

Two different voices muttered quietly. Kilan could not make out the words but knew instinctively that they were conversing about him.

Strangely, he felt fine. His body lay upon the softest material he'd ever felt, covered by a blanket that gave him a layer of security and warmth. His body was not flushed with the unnatural heat of a fever nor was his throat as dry as the desert sand. Vaguely he wondered where he was (his very relaxed mind was reluctant to cooperate). In a more alert way he wondered where _Sen_ was.

"Senneth!" he shouted as he sat up abruptly. The blanket slid down to gather in his lap. The two people in the room with him -- one male, one female -- spun around to face him nearly the exact moment he swung his legs around to the side of the bed. He shouted his love's name again as he rose too quickly. Dizziness overtook him and he sank back down.

"You shouldn't move so soon!" the man exclaimed. He was younger than Kilan with the look of someone fresh from the farm, so to speak. He tried to push his charge back down to the bed but the hand of the older woman stopped him.

"Riso, look in his eyes. Can you not see his determination? Even if we do not take him to this 'Senneth' he will find him. The very compound might be torn down around our ears." She smiled as Kilan steadied himself on his feet. "This is what love does, youngling. Hopefully you will know firsthand someday."

"Where is he?" the disoriented and confused young man asked worriedly. "Is he alright?"

"Dear, he's fine." Her warm brown eyes grew warmer as she saw the true depth of his concern. "I'll help you to his room."

Sen was next door sleeping as peacefully as a baby. Occasionally his right leg -- the one hurt most in the beating -- twitched, but there was no other movement beyond that. As quietly as possible, Kilan backed out of the room and shut the door.

"What happened?" he asked the woman. "The last thing I remember is feeling thirsty as hell and very, very tired."

They walked down the dimly lit empty hallway. The further the distance between Kilan and Sen, the more he noticed a cluster of voices. From time to time words were punctuated by the metallic clink of silverware. Kilan figured that they were entering a dining room and a meal was just getting underway. In one swift movement, the voices of everyone suddenly ceased when he entered the room, but after one long look from the woman beside him, they slowly began again.

She didn't say a word until after they both had loaded up plates from the buffet line. Suddenly, without warning, she started at the beginning.

"I am Iliza, this compound's only doctor at the moment. You were found by border patrol yesterday, very dehydrated and nearly dead. My assistant, Riso, and I had replenished your body's water supply within an hour of discovery but it was up to you both to survive."

They chewed thoughtfully for a while, each caught up in their own thoughts. Kilan considered how close he'd come to death and shuddered.

"So," he said, "is this a city or what?"

"Sort of." Iliza neatly stacked her empty dishes on the table and wiped her mouth. "This place is approximately halfway between Crenix Capital and Unari. We keep a sharp eye out for those unfortunate enough to be lost in the desert as well as refugees from Unari. It's a good thing you two never made it there."

He agreed wholeheartedly. "Yeah... Iliza? May I ask you a question?" She nodded attentively. "What do you think of joining ceremonies?"

***

The profound absence of Kilan's familiar presence roused him from a deep, peaceful slumber. Sen stirred restlessly for several minutes before waking completely. He glanced around the darkened room blearily, uneasily realizing that he recognized nothing.

"Ki?" he said in a plaintive voice. "Kilan, where are you?" His heart began to beat faster as panic infused him. Sen wondered distantly when his behavior did a complete 180º. Before, he wouldn't been so afraid of being alone. "It's his father," he sighed as he got out of bed. His mysterious healing power had further knitted the fracture in his leg so that it did not hurt when he put weight on it. Experimentally, he walked around the room and tested the limb. There wasn't hardly any limp left.

"I don't believe it!" he gasped. "I'm almost better!" A brief, bright smile spread across his face, bringing a ghost of the former Sen with it. He bounced up and down to further test his leg's strength.

The sound of the door opening startled him. Riso peeked inside, his bright eyes taking in the teenager in front of him. "Hi, Senneth. Did you have a good rest?"

"Uh, yeah. Where's Kilan?" More than a little unnerved at seeing a stranger be so familiar with him, he quickly shoved his feet into his boots. "Take me to him, please."

He followed the doctor-in-training to the dining room where his mate and Iliza were conversing quietly, heads close together. A spark of jealousy ignited within him when he saw them. "Who the hell is she?"

"That's-" Riso began. He cut himself off when he realized that Sen wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to him. The small man muttered to himself, "Okay, that had apparently meant to be a rhetorical question."

Kilan stood as he noticed his approach and recoiled a little when he also noticed the angry look on his face. "What's wrong, Sen?" The background noise slackened as the confrontation caught the attention of more and more people. He was so confused by his mate's behavior that he almost didn't observe that the limp was nearly gone.

"Your leg..."

That was the moment Iliza intervened. "Good morning, Senneth. You misunderstand the situation. Kilandreau and I were speaking about something very important to him."

Kilan walked over to where Sen stood and took his hands. "I'm closer to you than any other person in the world and I wouldn't have it any other way. Senneth, will you be my mate forever?"

Tears of joy welled in his eyes and Sen blinked rapidly to hold them at bay. At length, he surrendered to the overwhelming emotion. "Really? I can finally be yours forever?"

"You were already mine, ki'chin¹. You were definitely already mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ Saiya-jin word for 'kitten'.


	2. Chapter 2

"What does that mean?" Goku asked. He snuggled against Vegeta contentedly. There was nothing better than a happy ending and it looked as if there would be one after all.

"You mean ' _ki'chin_ '?" He searched his mind for an accurate translation. "I guess it would be 'baby feline'. Er, 'kitten'."

"Awww! That's cute." he grinned. "Why don't you call me something like that?"

He gave an indignant look. "I do, Kakarotto."

Goku poked him in the side. "I doubt 'baka' counts as a pet name, Vegeta."

"Well, I don't mean it anymore. That should count for something."

"How would you feel if I called you midget man?"

"It's not true. I'm not as short as your weak little ningen friend." He folded his arms across his chest above Goku's head. "I'll come up with something new, then. How about 'carrot'?"

Goku scrunched up his nose in distaste. "I'm not sure I like being called a vegetable."

"You do know that's what 'Kakarotto' means, don't you?"

Goku laughed in embarrassment. "Um, I do now."

Vegeta smiled very slightly and ran his mate's soft hair. "How about I call you 'koi'?"

A happy face smiled up at him. "Works for me."

~*~

The two lovers spent breakfast feeding each other from their plates. That was when Sen discovered that Kilan really hated grape jam. After daintily wiping mouths, they cleared away their dishes and went off to be alone until the ceremony.

"Wait a minute!" A very short woman with darkly dyed red hair said. She was covered in tan leather from head to toe. "There's much to be done before you two are joined. Ours is not just a ceremony, it's a profound new way of life." The other people -- men, women, _and_ children -- all nodded in agreement. Then a group of young women split into two. Sen was surrounded by one group while Kilan was surrounded by the other.

The woman smiled at them. "The name's Biran. I'm the boss around here. I've spoken to the Elder yesterday evening and he's seen into your hearts. Senneth and Kilandreau, you will both make fine additions into our family."

Kilan had been completely thrown out of his element. The eyes of so many people made him nervous. Then he was suddenly reminded of the public display he'd made the previous night at dinner and embarrassment rose to combine with it. Eventually, he mumbled something and looked down at his feet.

Sen, on the other hand, was extremely eager and excited. "I've got the perfect idea for my outfit! It's 'sexy virginal'!" He went happily with the women, the entire group chatting amiably. Kilan's girls had to practically drag him off for a fitting. His eyes followed Sen's retreating back and swaying tail until he was out of sight.

***

"Mr. Kilandreau, if you don't hold still I'm going to end up poking you again." Misti, the seamstress, said with frustration. "Birrie, can you please distract him?"

The older woman sat down on a stool out of Misti's way. "Kilan-- May I call you that?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Kilan, my ancient tribe had special customs when it came to our bonding ceremony. It's not just a public ritual -- it's a very private one as well."

He blinked at her. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

She clucked her tongue sadly. "All of the old traditions have been lost. Do you want to know why most commitments fall apart?" He opened his mouth to respond but she didn't give him time. "They aren't compatible. Why do people join if they can't even live together peacefully? Who knows. But I _do_ know this: you and Sen are made for each other and I can give you the key to forever."

There was a desperate look of hope on Kilan's face, one that was overwhelming in its intensity. He stood completely still as he waited for her to continue.

Biran smiled wickedly. "First, you must allow Misti to do her job." He glanced down at the navy blue fabric pinned across his torso and groaned loudly. "Then we will talk."

For the remainder of the uncomfortable fitting, Kilan didn't move a muscle. What Biran knew was too important to jeopardize. If he had known her just a little better, he would have realized that she would have told him anyway.

"Let's get some lunch. That way I can tell you both together."

***

The table they'd come to claim as their own had been covered in white tablecloth. Fresh desert wildflowers had been placed into a crystal vase in the center of the table. Sen was already there chatting with a woman who was identical to Misti in appearance. Both had elaborately braided hair, faint freckles across their noses, and very thin bodies. The only difference was that Misti had on a long black dress while her sister wore a black skirt.

"Sen, I think if we make them any shorter we'll be breaking public decency laws," she was saying.

He nodded seriously. "You're right, Kristi. Absolutely right." When Kilan sat down at the only other chair at the table -- one that was exactly opposite Sen's -- the teenager looked up with a happy smile. "This is going to be great!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," Kilan said in monotone. "Great."

Sensing that things could get really hairy, really fast, Kristi said good-bye and went off to finish sewing. Biran wandered over and took the recently vacated seat.

"As I was saying earlier, there are ways to ensure that you stay together. Do you have any sort of connection with each other?"

Again, Kilan was confused. He knew that they had to have some sort of link or they wouldn't still be together after all that had happened -- or had nearly happened -- to them. His mate, on the other hand, was nodding sagely. "I feel it in my bones," he said.

"How come _I_ don't?" Kilan asked moodily. He was glad when one of the kitchen staff brought out a pot of stew. It successfully overshadowed his question. They each drew portions from the large pot into bowls and returned to their seats. For a few minutes they busied themselves with eating (at least, Kilan did) until he saw Sen's sympathetic eyes gazing at him. "What?"

Biran leaned across the table and lightly rapped on his skull. "You're hard-headed." Sen giggled behind his hands while Kilan looked offended. "For years you've been keeping strict control over your mind. Sen tells me that your home life was a little..."

"Rough," he said. "Extremely rough."

"Well, you've built up fortress-worthy defenses around your mind, my friend. Sen can physically feel the bond you have because he's completely open to it."

He knew she was right. Over the years, suppressing his thoughts and emotions, as well as making sure the cold behavior of his parents didn't affect him, had closed off his mind to outside influence. If there was one thing he wanted most in the world (besides Sen himself) was to feel the true depth of his love. "Tell me how to fix it," he pleaded.

Biran smiled and spooned up some of her stew. "Go on, eat. There's no sense in letting it become cold."

Eventually, she told them about the process to break down Kilan's mental barriers. "The public ceremony is fairly simple. When I ask you questions, you respond to the best of your ability."

"Can I say something extra?" Sen asked. "I've been thinking about it for a little while."

"Of course. The ceremony isn't set into stone." Biran set her spoon into her bowl and leaned back in full satisfaction. "The girls should be completely finished around sundown. They're the best -- and the fastest -- seamstresses for thousands of miles. The ceremony is set to begin an hour after that, followed by dinner and dancing."

Kilan finished soon after but Sen had taken the entire pot for himself after he was sure everyone had eaten and was currently devouring the remainder. "What do we do until we need to get ready? Anything?"

"Within reason. I guess the only thing off limits would be something that would result in Sen's loss of virginity." The teen coughed on his mouthful and reached for his glass of water. "Can't wear white if you're not a virgin," she grinned.

A little while later, Sen suggested they work at opening Kilan's mind a little more. The two sat in the new room they shared with only two candles for light. "Visualization is the key," Sen said. "If you imagine your mind open, it will be."

"You sure about that?"

"Pretty sure. Close your eyes and we'll see."

For Sen, it was a simple process to feel the frustration flowing from Kilan in waves. His heart went out to him and he visualized himself bridging the gap between them and settling inside his beloved's head.

He imagined that Kilan's mind was like a stone tower with no windows or doors. Nothing could leak out, but neither could anything enter. Sen studied the tall and sturdy walls from all sides and angles and found no cracks. "Not going to stop me," he said with absolute determination. Conjuring up the image of a sledgehammer, he went to work on knocking a hole in the nearest wall.

Three swings later, defenses were crumbling. It didn't hurt that Kilan was more than willing to let him in, either. He tossed aside his tool and squeezed through the hole he'd created. In the very center of the square tower sat the phantom form of a little boy. His face was buried in his knees and fierce sobbing wracked his body. Sen realized that it was the child form of Kilan when the boy looked up. He could never mistake the eyes he considered so beautiful.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently. The boy sniffled and regarded him silently for a long while. When he spoke, his voice was filled with hurt.

"I'm not s'posed to cry, you know. Father says only sissies and girls do that." He rubbed his eyes with his fists. "I know, but I still do it. Am I bad?"

Sen pulled the ghostly boy into his lap and held him close. "Of course not, Kilan. Everyone needs to do it sometimes."

He nodded but didn't look convinced. "They never spend time with me. I can't go outside and play or anything. Will you be my friend?"

"I sure will. And when you feel like crying, I'll be right here to hold you, okay?" He kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, Kilandreau."

Kilan's adult voice spoke to him from some far off place. It bounced from the walls and entered his ears, where it settled firmly over his heart. "I love you with all my heart, Senneth." The little boy smiled.

~*~

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that he was you." Goku said in a strangely wondering tone of voice. "Your mind was as closed off as his was."

There was no response. Vegeta had retreated inside himself a while ago. Goku knew there was no reaching him when he was this way -- and he had tried many times. Better to leave him be for now, and carefully piece together his shattered self-worth tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

There were few things either of them enjoyed more than early morning cuddling. It was gentle and reassuring, something both of them had rarely experienced.

As much as he hated to admit it, Vegeta loved being completely enfolded in Goku's strong arms. It made him feel safe, protected. And when his mate hummed softly, he was completely caught up in the perfect moment.

"I feel better," he murmured almost inaudibly. "All of my doubts and my worries can be completely washed away by your care." He sighed contentedly, a slight smile on his face. "You make me whole."

Goku squeezed his arm briefly. "Well, you balance me. I think I would do really stupid stuff if you weren't around."

His smile grew wider. "You still do stupid stuff, Carrot." Before the protest had time to emerge, Vegeta planted a lingering kiss on Goku's lips. "Ai shiteru, koi. Forever and ever."

~*~

"I am _so_ ready for this!" Sen said excitedly. He stood in front of the full-length mirror in Kristi's bedroom in his brand new outfit. He couldn't stop looking at himself in the mirror, knowing that he'd never looked so good. "Kristi, you're amazing."

She grinned. "Thanks very much." The white headband she held was tied just at his hairline. "I'm really proud of it."

Sen wore what appeared to be a vest at first glance and a modified tuxedo at another. Actually, it was a little bit of both. The sleeveless shirt was fastened with a row of buttons up the front and split into long tails at the back. Beneath the vest-like top piece he wore a pair of white shorts only a few centimeters shy of being indecent. The outfit was finished off with white slippers and the headband made out of the same comfortable material as his clothing. Senneth was perfectly suited for the color, but couldn't wait to change the virginal part of it. He knew exactly what two males could do together (at least, he _thought_ he did) and couldn't wait to love Kilan's body all over again.

"You're blushing," Kristi commented with a knowing smile. "I bet your honeymoon will be a night to remember."

Color still lit his cheeks crimson, but Sen was able to look her in the eyes. "I sure hope so." Then he bounced from the room excitedly, singing a tune he made up on the fly. "I'm gettin' joined today! Kilan's my mate today! Nothing is neater and there's nothing sweeter than bonding with Kilan today!"

Kristi winced. "Definitely needs work."

He smiled beatifically. "I have a lifetime. Ki's so inspiring."

She led him to the communal hall. It was a vast cavern where they held parties, many different kinds of ceremonies, and classes for the children. The people had decorated the place with paper streamers, artwork, and elaborately folded paper animals. Rugs lay on the floor in a semi-circle with two plush velvet pillows in the center. Another pillow, this one white, was perpendicular to them.

People filed in and settled themselves comfortably on the floor. Children looked around in fascination at the room, wondering how a place where they spent so many torturous hours could look so different. All wore their best clothes -- nice to look at and easy to move in -- and wore no shoes. When dancing at joining ceremonies, it was customary for the body to have direct contact with the earth.

Light flute music began to circulate the room from hidden musicians, signaling the start of the ceremony. Biran took her place on the white pillow, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap. Kilan and Sen entered through the far door side-by-side, approaching the people and separating to move around the attendees in different directions. They both kneeled on the twin pillows, faced each other, and clasped hands.

Biran cleared her throat. "These two young men, both from Crenix Capital, have decided to undergo the ancient ceremony of the Xilu tribe. Senneth, have you successfully forged a link from your mind to Kilan's that will forever join you?"

"Yeah," he said, voice choked with tears of joy.

"And you, Kilandreau, have you done the same?"

A wave of deep emotion poured from Sen through their connection that threatened to overwhelm him. Kilan took several slow, steadying breaths before responding. "Yes, I have."

"As their minds are compatible, so are their hearts. Boys, is there anything you would like to say?"

Sen's head bobbed up and down rapidly. "I wrote a poem I call 'Ode to Kilandreau'." He cleared his throat and nervously began.

" _This name I hear,_  
It calls to me,  
Tugs on heart strings  
And sends a warmth right to my soul.

" _This face I see_  
Delicate, yet strong  
Clean as slate  
But emotion runs rampant in your eyes.

" _This love I feel_  
Like nothing before.  
Soothing balm to raw wounds.  
Heaven has come to Saiya for me."

Kilan's eyes leaked and absently he wondered it that was Sen's emotion or his own. Deciding that it really didn't matter, he took his turn at speaking. "What I'm going to say won't be nearly as touching as your poem, but I'm going to say it anyway. Sen, you're my first, last, and only love. I would move mountains for you if I could. Since I can't, I'm going to content myself with being your friend, guardian, lover, partner, and lone follower of your cult." That statement received chuckles, including a few watery ones from Sen. Kilan nodded at Biran. "Alright, I'm finished."

"On this day, before these honored witnesses, Senneth and Kilandreau's Bond has been acknowledged. Let them be gifted with long life or, if merciful, a quick death so that one may never know the horrors of a severed Bond."

A low, murmured agreement rose up from the assembled guests. "Let no pain befall them. Let no others part them."

"You may seal your joining with a kiss."

For moment they simply stared into each other's eyes. Then Sen took initiative, as always, and cupped Kilan's face. He drew him closer, all but tumbling the smaller Saiya-jin into his lap in the process. The people erupted into cheers as their lips made contact, their sounds of celebration turning to good-natured ribbing when it took the newly-joined a full minute to separate for air. Biran rose from her position and announced loudly to all present, "Let the feast begin!" Sen's cheers were the loudest of all.

***

He was like a small cyclone that sucked up all the food in its path. Sen went through the buffet line more than anyone and emerged with several plates each time. Kilan had to forcefully stop him, citing that other people might want seconds.

"But it's _my_ day," he whined. Then he laughed slightly. "Alright, Ki. I'll prove to everyone that I have self-control." But when the largest cake he'd ever seen in his entire life was wheeled before him, Sen completely forgot what he'd just said. Before anyone could even blink, Sen had removed the entire top layer of the seven-layer cake.

"Um, Sen? Aren't you going to share that with me?" Kilan asked mildly as the entire thing neared his beloved's mouth. The teenager looked ashamed and offered him a piece. Kilan took it gracefully then dabbed icing on Sen's nose.

After the night of wining, dining, dancing, and romancing was over, the two young men retired to the new room given to them by Biran. A cheerful fire crackled in the hearth, casting light over the love nest on the floor. Thick matting lay in the center and was covered with pillows and blankets.

Sen and Kilan busied themselves by touring the room and commenting on the décor. When there were no more paintings to analyze, and no other things to occupy themselves with, they turned to each other and wondered. Neither of them really had any experience and two virgins together often made for awkward first times.

"Um, okay..." Sen cocked his head to the side as he pondered their situation. "What are your preferences?"

"Preferences?" Kilan blushed very minutely. "Well, I like guys."

A suppressed a smile. "We wouldn't be here if you didn't, Ki. Think bigger."

He paced, wondering if sex was always so mentally challenging. "Will you do what you did before? That was great."

Sen nodded while grinning fully. "Talking about this is weird, isn't it?"

"Well, yes. Just a little." Kilan: the master of understatement.

Smiling, he slowly began to stalk toward his mate. Kilan didn't know whether to be nervous or excited. His stomach settled on an uncomfortable mixture of both.

It all began with a kiss, one that left them both breathless. Sen's nimble fingers unbuttoned his vest and it was on the floor before either of them knew it. Then the same busy fingers pulled free Kilan's sash and, suddenly, they were half naked.

"Let's get horizontal," Sen gasped out. He led Kilan out to the bed and pushed him firmly down upon it. At a very fast pace, pants were removed and tossed away. By silent, mutual consent the underwear was completely bypassed. That was too big of a step at the moment.

"Sen," Kilan said as kisses (and a few licks) landed on his face, neck, and chest. "Forgive me if I finish too soon." Sen grabbed a puckered nipple between pearly-white teeth and nibbled. His willing victim found it quite difficult to form coherent sentences. "No... disappoint..."

A pink tongue traced a wet path between two nicely developed pecs and leisurely circled his navel. "Never."

"That's good." He let out a low breathy moan and surrendered to release. For a brief moment Sen pouted, then he realized that Kilan's manhood wasn't completely flaccid. He started to remove Kilan's now-damp undershorts when he was stopped by slightly shaking hands.

"Let me do something for you," his mate said. Then he removed them himself. Rolling Sen over, he honed in on the lump in the tiny pair of bikini underwear, kissing him over the cloth. The teenager's eyes flew open wide as he felt the hot moistness and, "Goddamn!" emerged loudly from his mouth. Kilan's hands fell away in startlement until Sen gave him a 'What the hell did you do that for?' look. "Don't stop!" he moaned. "Please, don't stop!"

Kilan experimented; he knew that he had the rest of his life to perfect his technique. One night, a night that seemed to have happened in another lifetime, Sen had done absolutely amazing things to his body that had rocked him all the way to the very core of his being. While he knew that chances were slim that he could ever hope to match the teenager's enthusiasm and adventurism, Kilan wanted to make their sexual experiences enjoyable. Hooking his fingers into Sen's bikinis, he pulled them completely off and cast them away.

He was perfect and was told so in reverent awe.

Sen blushed embarrassedly and tried to ignore his nakedness. The attempt succeeded... until Kilan's mouth descended upon him.

"OH MY GOD!" Sen screamed loud enough to wake the dead. He inhaled sharply and stared down in wonder at Kilan. "You stop and I'll kill you!"

Kilan smirked the best he could with a full mouth and went back to work.

The room soon filled with the sounds of Sen's constant sounds of pleasure and urging. Kilan discovered exactly how he felt about each and every kiss, lick, and playful bite -- and there were few things he didn't thoroughly enjoy.

His staying power was astounding. There actually came a time when Kilan had no idea how long his tired jaw muscles could keep going. Sensing his fatigue, Sen finally allowed himself to tumble over the edge.

Frankly, Kilan was startled by the explosion. It didn't taste all that bad, but then again, he'd swallowed most of Sen's seed reflexively. He made a mental note to get a good taste next time around.

"Oh, wow," Sen said faintly, his eyes half-closed. "That was excellent -- beyond excellent! That was phenomenal!"

Kilan was deeply flattered. "Well, thanks."

He suddenly found himself lying prone, hands captured. Sen grinned with a sudden burst of renewed energy. "Time for round two!"


	4. Chapter 4

Wanderlust found Senneth.

After staying with the Desert Dwellers for a month, he found himself longing for the surface world. One of his dreams as a child was to become a great adventurer. His imaginary travels had been what kept the demons away. Slowly the memories returned to him and made him long to leave.

"Mr. Sen!" An insistent tug on his pant leg brought him back to the present. A semi-circle of small children gazed expectantly up at him, all silently begging for the end of the story. The little girl asked, "What happened to Cassie?"

Quickly, his mind brought his hand-written, food- and ink-splattered copy to mind and couldn't not remember the end of his story. Hurriedly, he made up something. "Um, Cassie finds her dog in the linen closet. He wasn't lost after all!" The kids simultaneously groaned and laughed. "Okay, time for lunch. Wash up... and don't shove each other in line! There's more than enough food to go around!" he called after them.

He tidied up the playroom, collecting empty juice cups and putting away stray toys. A presence at the doorway caught his attention and his spirits rose even more.

"Having a good day, Ki?" he asked with a ready smile. Seeing his mate always put him in a wonderful mood.

"I am," he replied, "and it's just gotten better." Kilan proffered his arm. "Shall we be off? They've made your favorite again."

They linked arms and headed from the small playroom to the dining room just down the hall. All the people they passed along the way extended a friendly greeting or a smile. It was a far cry from the behavior of most Crenix Capital citizens. At best, same-sex couples were ignored. At worst... Well, it was better not to consider the extreme. The environment of the Underground had done wonders to help speed along Sen's emotional healing.

The teenager rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Hungry boy comin' through!" he announced. People parted, knowing very well how he could get, and watched him descend upon the food with amused laughter.

"Excuse us," Kilan said as he followed close behind. "I've tried to teach him manners but nothing sticks."

The table they'd first occupied was now reserved especially for them. A placard sat in the center that informed newcomers if there were no others around. Both sat down, Sen's many dishes spread everywhere, and were just about to dig in when rapid footsteps made their way into the hall.

A shocked gasp went up from the people closest to the commotion. Many questions were asked at once, words overlapping to form nonsense. Iliza pushed her way through the gathering crowd with Kilan and Sen close behind. Kneeling in the center of a small cleared circle was a very pale young woman dressed in a lightweight traveler's robe.

"My dear, what is the matter?" the doctor asked. She joined the exhausted girl on the floor and took her hands. "Speak slowly."

The girl nodded, her chest heaving with breathlessness and fear. "Biran. I need to see Biran." Her shaking hands pulled free a plain scroll case and thrust it into Iliza's hands. "The Fourth Outpost needs help," she said. Then she collapsed.

The doctor checked for a pulse and found one, though weak and thready. "Take her to a sick room. I'll be along shortly."

She pulled the parchment free of its protective shell and read it quickly. Her eyes widened, her face paled, but her voice remained steady as she handed it to Sen. "I must attend her," Iliza said faintly.

"What's going on?" Kilan asked. He examined the scroll case and found nothing unusual about it. "I guess we'll have to talk to Biran."

His mate immediately removed, and unrolled, the scroll. "Wanna bet?" Written there was a single line of text.

_And so it begins._

***

Biran hadn't moved in ten minutes. Her guests constantly exchanged glances with each other and gazed around the small bedroom in mild curiosity. A soft rustling caught their attention and the two young men watched her gently replace the scroll in its tube and cradle her head in her hands. "This is terrible," she whispered. "Very terrible."

Kilan stared intently at her. "Please explain what's going on and maybe we can help."

"I don't see how, Kilan. No one on Saiya is equipped to handle this. A threat on his scale is unprecedented."

"They're in trouble and you're just going to sit here and not do anything?!" Sen's outraged explosion surprised her. Then he slowly sank back down onto his pillow and nodded.

"What's that look for, Ki'chin?"

"We'll do it. I don't care what's the problem because we'll help anyway. But," he smiled, "we need more information such as the location of the Fourth Outpost."

She dubiously thought they would follow-through, but she explained anyway. "The Outpost is right on the coast, about 500 miles away. Wilch, the leader over there, sent Bethany here with a missive. She ran almost the entire way and it still took her half a week." Biran rose and paced. "A Lelian priestess came to him a few years back. She was young and still influenced by the outside world so there were few that she trusted. Wilch was made known to her by a mutual friend. She carried with her an ancient scroll that was literally falling apart. It had been brought to her for translation because that's what Lelian priestesses do most of the time."

"Who brought it?" Sen asked curiously. "What does this have to do with you?"

Kilan covered his mate's mouth with his hand and smiled apologetically when Biran glared at the teen. "He's sorry. Please continue."

"She was worried about what was on the paper, worried that something horrible would happen that no one could stop."

A muffled explosion of sound burst forth from Sen. His eyes widened fully and his arms waved around in the air excitedly. Kilan removed his hand when the single sounds became sentences.

"The scroll was a prophecy, wasn't it?" The look on his face was far from worried. He thought of the stories he'd read as a child and wondered how _this_ story would end. "What did it say? Was it really bad?"

Biran was very close to doing something drastic to Sen and both young men knew it. To preserve the peaceful atmosphere, Kilan whispered something into Sen's ear. "If you let her finish, I'll do that special thing you like."

His eyebrows shot up and a lecherous look entered his eyes. "Only if you take a turn."

"Deal." They shook on it. Kilan nodded at Biran. "You won't be interrupted anymore."

"I hope not." She scanned her mind for what she'd previously said. "We were both skeptical at first. By believing in the 'prophecy', we felt that we were giving up our control. But what if we ignored it and the events came to pass? I know _I_ would have never forgiven myself.

"In the end, we put it to vote. There are three other outposts on Saiya, all of them in remote locations. Runners were sent and for a month we waited impatiently for news."

"All had voted to wait except one.

"So, the prophecy hasn't been discounted. We've waited for some sign that meant that the Time was at hand for a long, long while." She smacked one fisted hand into the palm of the other. "Just when I was finally starting to relax, Wilch sends me a message like this! There's no doubt in my mind that we have trouble on our hands."

"How long?" Kilan questioned. "How long before all Hell breaks loose?"

Collapsing heavily into her chair, she grabbed double fistfuls of hair in tense hands. "I don't know the situation on the coast so I couldn't say for sure."

"We'll go check it out and be back before you know it." Sen smiled and winked. He took Kilan's hand and pulled him along. "We have planning to do."

Biran's tired voice followed them down the hall. "If you see Iliza, could you send her to me? Thanks."

When they were out of earshot, Kilan confronted Sen about his willingness to take on problems before he'd even heard what they were. "This is big, Sen! We shouldn't go into this lightly."

Hot and startling temper flared in the insulted eyes of his mate. "Are you implying that I didn't think this through?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm implying." He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. One of them had to, after all. "I agree that we owe them a great deal, but getting ourselves killed isn't the way to repay them."

"Don't you see, Ki? This is bigger than all of us! It will reach you and I no matter where we are. No one can escape their destiny." Gently he settled his hands on his shoulders. Their eyes locked with the same intensity they felt the first time their paths crossed in Crenix. "I know you feel this, too. We're meant to go."

Kilan's resolve crumbled. "I'm afraid," he whispered brokenly. "If I lost you-"

"You won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

Sen moved closer so that their faces were centimeters apart. "You're stuck with me, Kilandreau. Forever..." He kissed him, pouring all his love, all his conviction, into the contact. He spoke again. the words lost in the mounting passion. But Kilan knew. He felt an answering cry well up from deep inside.

"...and beyond."

~*~

Vegeta frowned at the words. He had never heard of any prophecy and this was the history of his people. From the first book, he'd wondered why it had been included. A simple love story between two young men -- no matter how special -- wasn't important enough by itself to be included in the History of the Saiya-jin. But add a little mystery and fear on a global scale...

"You've never heard about this before."

Dark eyes blinked and focused on Goku. "Nani? Oh, iie. This entire thing is new to me. Why did my father keep this story a secret?"

"Maybe he never read these books. That's possible, right?" Goku stroked his back in an effort to comfort. He knew exactly where his small mate's thoughts were headed. "Maybe he wasn't trying to hide it."

"Even though you've never met him, you know as well as I do that he was. We are Saiya-jin and, therefore, not capable of anything other than cold-blooded murder and unadulterated lust, after all." His eyes were shadowed. "This story proves that all I've been taught, that all my father and his father before him has been taught, is a complete lie. Our entire belief system has been compromised."

He caught the train of thought and went with it. "In their eyes it made you all look weak."

"Hai, but I know better now." He smiled faintly and cupped Goku's face in his hands. "Being in love with you has given me strength undreamed of."

His eyes leaked. There was no way to stop it. On those rare occasions when his mate became romantic, it touched him so deeply there were no words to describe the feeling. The first time he cried because of something Vegeta had said, it had alarmed the small Saiya-jin so badly that he spent the entire day trying to make up for a non-existent grievance. Now, he simply smiled and used to fingers to wipe away the salty fluid.

"Ai shiteru, Kakarotto. I don't say it nearly as much as I should."


	5. Chapter 5

Sen was very, very sated. The previous night had been something special, alright. He stretched out his long body and tucked his arms behind his head.

Weeks on the road with only the supplies they could carry on their backs. He smiled; it sounded wonderfully exciting. And even though there would be a third person traveling with them, he had little doubt that his sex life wouldn't suffer. Iliza would just have to become used to fervent cries of passion in the dead of night, that's all.

He rolled over onto his side and spooned Kilan once again. The older, yet smaller, male pushed back against him, moaning slightly in his sleep when he encountered early morning hardness. Sen's eyelids half-closed at the stimulation, then sighed because he knew there wouldn't be time to quench the newly rekindled fire in his loins.

"Ki," he said gently into the pink shell of his nearest ear. "It's time to get up." Kilan mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a refusal and an invitation rolled into one. "As much as I want to take you up on that, we should be hitting the road soon. Don't know about you, but the last thing I want is to have Biran burst in here."

"Right," he mumbled. "She doesn't care if I get blue balls."

The pouty look on his face was too cute to ignore. Sen caved and wrapped the slender fingers of one hand around Kilan's manhood. "You'll have to settle for a hand job."

"Aw, c'mon!" he gasped at the touch while intensifying the pout three-fold. "How much more time would a quickie take?"

"Too much!" But he caved even further, threw back the covers, and lowered himself bodily over his mate's hardness. His insides burned briefly as they protested the lack of preparation, but it wasn't anything that he couldn't handle. "You owe me!" he said as he began to ride.

The bed frame creaked ominously as the two of them headed rapidly toward climax. A long, continuous moan burst forth from deep within Sen's body, one that steadily gained volume until he reached the pinnacle of pleasure.

He caught himself with his arms as he fell forward so that he didn't smother Kilan. They kissed tenderly before being broken apart by clapping. In a tangle of arms and legs, they uncoupled and faced the closed door.

"Bravo! A fine performance," Biran said with an unreadable expression on her face. She pushed herself away from the doorframe where, apparently, she'd been leaning for quite some time. "Now that you've finished fucking, can you find some way to fit the needy into your busy schedule?"

The strange look on her face scared them both more than a little. "Yes, Biran," Sen said meekly. "We're on our way."

"Ten minutes."

***

Neither could meet her eyes. Biran watched them carry bowls of hot cereal back to the table and consume their breakfasts in silence.

She sighed and felt guilty. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that your sexual activities weren't as important as other things. To you, I'm sure it's number one or two on your list."

"It's okay. This entire thing is my fault," Kilan said. "If I hadn't been so horny-"

Sen interrupted. "Forget it. Biran, is there anything else we need to know?"

"Yes. Avoid that cities unless you absolutely have no choice. According to the prophecy, there will be strange and malicious people around."

"Where do they come from?"

Shrugging, she answered, "Somewhere. Beyond the sky. It doesn't give an exact location and I doubt it really matters. If you want to see the prophecy yourself, as Wilch. I don't have a copy."

"You really didn't believe it was true, did you?"

"My beliefs don't matter, either. The only thing that truly does is finding out what's wrong and stopping it before the problem becomes worse."

Sen nodded, rose from his chair, and saluted. "Yes, ma'am. We're on it!"

She walked them to the lift that would take them to the surface. A complicated series of pulleys attached to strong cables were controlled by equally strong people to lift, or lower, the device in its shaft. There was a hollow tube that ran from the surface to the Underground that allowed for communication. On the surface it was hidden by a medium-sized boulder.

Iliza was already waiting there with medical and personal supplies, having risen especially early.

"Report back to me," Biran said. "Good luck." She pulled the heavy metal doors of the lift closed and signaled to the crew. The two men and two women grabbed a hold of thick wooden bars attached to a giant gear that was connected to the cables within the tunnel wall.

"Isn't this fantastic?" Sen asked as they rose slowly. "I've never been this far away from home before and now I'm going even farther!"

Yet another adult decided to dampen his good mood. Iliza looked at him kindly, but seriously. "Remember why we're leaving, Sen. This isn't a vacation."

He would not be subdued this time. "You know what? No."

Her brows contracted in disapproval. Kilan scooted from between them and over to the farthest corner of the lift. As much as he loved Sen, he didn't want to take any of the doctor's abuse that wasn't meant for him. Besides, he could handle himself now.

Heat leapt into Iliza's eyes. "Are you refusing to show respect for this serious situation?"

"No," he said again, this time in a different tone. "I know this looks bad, and I know that people might be in trouble, but we can't help anyone if our minds are too full of shit." A slight pursing of his lips indicated his recognition of a distraction: the lift was halting. "Look, we all need doses of light stuff sometimes. Sadness, anger, depression, etc. weigh you down and cause your mind to lose focus. Those people need our full attention."

Biran's voice floated up to them from the comm. tube embedded in the rock beside the shaft. A small circular door in one side of the lift admitted clear sound, although it echoed just a little. "You're above ground. Good luck, guys. See you soon."

"We'll go and see that this was all a big misunderstanding," Sen said to her as he unlatched the thick metal doors. "See ya later." He skipped out into the dry desert heat.

Kilan startled Iliza with his quiet words. "He works hard to be happy all the time. Before we met, Sen's life was Hell." A small smile touched his lips. "With him around, my own personal demons don't bother me much anymore."

The doctor watched him follow his partner's tall form and realized that there were many more facets to the teenager then she realized.

***

The entrance to the Underground was embedded in a large rock formation that cast a tall shadow over the burning sand. On the outside, the lift doors were painted the same dark brown shade as the rock around them. Unless you knew what you were looking for, it was very easy to miss.

After several bad starts, Iliza convinced Sen to don desert traveler's clothing. Both young men had already learned the hazards of going without, but he resisted simply because of his residual anger at her. She eventually told him that she wouldn't give him salve if he became sunburned and Kilan's unsuccessfully hidden wince caused him to give in. His skin _was_ somewhat fair, after all.

Kilan dropped back to walk with him. For a long moment they followed along behind Iliza silently while exchanging meaningful looks on occasion. Then Sen sighed and said what was easily becoming his most-used word for the day, "No."

"Ki'chin, she didn't mean to insult you. No one knows you as well as I do."

A profoundly hurt look flashed across his face anyway, one he had been holding back for a mile. "How could she think that I didn't care?"

"Don't worry about it." Kilan wrapped his arm around Sen's waist and settled against his side. Sen's hand clasped his shoulder. "I know different and that's all that really matters."

Though there was no outward sign, the doctor had heard every word. She wanted to somehow apologize, to show him that she deeply regretted her words. Even as they'd emerged from her mouth, she hadn't truly believed them.

"Are you ready for lunch?" she asked when the sun was directly overhead. Both young men looked a little wilted and in dire need of a break. Even if she'd known nothing about them, she would have made them for city-dwellers -- there was just that look about them. Iliza, on the other hand, had lived in the desert all her life. In fact, she had been a runner before she'd become a doctor.

After quickly pitching a shelter from the sun, she pulled rations out of her pack. "Until we leave the desert this is all we have," she explained when looks of distaste settled on Sen and Kilan's faces.

Sen sampled a bar of... something then winced when his taste buds rebelled. "Make a note, Ki."

"Why?"

"Because this is the first time in history I've ever completely lost my appetite."

After much cajoling and pleading, Kilan got Sen to eat two bars (both of which were chased down by copious amounts of water). They weren't horrible to him, just a little on the chalky side. Iliza consumed her share with resignation while she speculated about the fourth outpost's problem. It was highly likely that it was medical in nature. Each outpost had its own doctors on hand, but none were as skilled as she was when it came to the diagnosis and treatment of strange illnesses and conditions. In her gear was a portable laboratory kit so that she could analyze the disease. Stomach sinking, she thought of the damage something new could cause before it was contained. Terms such as 'epidemic' and 'plague' brought a cold sweat to her body.

Two pairs of eyes quietly observed her. Kilan noticed things on the surface such as the paleness of her face and the tension fairly singing throughout her body. His mate's keen sight noticed the deeper emotions of fear and worry. He implored Kilan silently about offering comfort and the answer was a short nod.

He shifted in the sand over to where she sat, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. "Don't forget to hope," Sen said in a voice near whisper. "You can't do your job without it."

"She thinks they're dying or I wouldn't have been sent," was the broken response. "I don't know the actual words of the prophecy but I know that much." Her arms tightened. "Finding all those people dead would be one of those things I never recover from."

At a loss, Sen frantically tried to come up with words of comfort. While he was thinking, Kilan stepped in. "We're both rested enough to travel farther. You need to get there as soon as you can." He offered her a hand up. "The longer we walk, the better the chance."

She allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. "You're right." A weak smile was summoned from somewhere deep inside. "Let's go."

~*~

Goku imagined that he could see the gears of Vegeta's mind working furiously. The simple story of love between two people was deepening and taking on new complexities. Biran's mention of a prophecy and her apparent belief in it, left him wondering how much of his people's history was lost... or selectively forgotten.

"Why didn't I know about this?" the former prince of the Saiya-jin asked tonelessly. "Someone was hiding this, Kakarotto. If not my father then... someone."

Declining to speak for a long moment, Goku began tracing soothing patterns on his mate's lower back. Unconsciously, Vegeta leaned into the touch and closed his eyes.

"You know, 'geta, this story is a lot different than the ones you told me about our people." He paused to carefully consider the impact his next words would have. "Maybe they were embarrassed. This isn't exactly a bloody tale of war."

The small body stiffened then relaxed almost immediately. "Kakarotto, I can't really get mad at you for telling the truth. Most of us were animals, at best."

Tension hung in the air, exuded by Vegeta's very pores. Goku grinned. "You still are." He waited a second, before adding, "But you're _my_ animal."

That received both an eye roll and a small smile in return.


	6. Chapter 6

Two days out from their destination the good doctor spotted rising smoke on the horizon. They'd left the rolling sand dunes of the desert behind some 300 miles ago and were gratefully spending their time beneath a thick spread of forest canopy. Sen, being taller than Kilan, shielded his eyes with a hand and tried to spot what Iliza had identified. He could barely see dark puffs of smoke in the distance.

"That can't be good," he murmured.

Iliza shook her head. "Dark smoke _never_ means anything good. Come on, we have to go see if we can help." She checked her pack for security and took off at a run. Without hesitation, Sen and Kilan followed.

For an older woman she could move pretty quickly. She paced herself carefully so that she didn't feel the strain on her stamina until the town was in sight. Iliza slowed and came to a stop as she tried to gauge the situation.

"A lot of buildings are on fire," she noted aloud as her companions caught up with her. They both were panting heavily and a light sheen of sweat shone on their faces. Sen absently rubbed his bad leg as his eyes swept over the chaos and confusion down below in the valley. People were frantically running left and right carrying water or checking on the survivors. Enter blocks of houses and businesses glowed with flames and the villagers were doing their best to extinguish them.

"Do either of you see the villains behind this? We wouldn't have a chance against a group of warriors."

Kilan shook his head. "I'm glad they're gone. The way I'm feeling now, I would probably try to attack them without thinking first." His eyes took in the damage sadly. Turning to Sen, he asked, "Can you walk, ki'chin?"

Spasms shook his right leg, but they were lessening. When the blinding ache was more of a dull throb, Sen nodded and allowed his mate to pull him to his feet.

They headed into the village and followed a line of people to a nearby stream. They were filling buckets, pots, everything they could get their hands on that held water, and were passing is down the line. Despite their determination, it was obvious that their efforts were barely making a dent in the problem. Heat pressed in from what seemed to be all sides and the air was thick with ash. Those who were reduced to helpless coughing fits were gently pulled from the bucket brigade by concerned citizens and replaced with able-bodied workers.

"We can't put out the fires!" One man shouted, trying to be heard above the din. "Try to stop them from spreading instead!" When no one changed their priorities, he wrung his hands in despair.

Iliza motioned for Sen and Kilan to follow her and they joined those already wetting down the grass surrounding the burning buildings. Slowly, more and more people caught on and the raging fires were successfully contained. In quiet grief as they worked, men, women, and children watched their homes and livelihoods burn to cinders.

"This is horrible," Sen whispered, his voice made hoarse from emotion and coughing. "Who would do something like this?"

A weary old man, the same one as before, sighed. He was a very tall man whose black hair was still dark and whose eyes were still bright with awareness. It wasn't that odd of a sight really; Saiya-jin just didn't age visibly. The wisdom in his eyes, however, was not that of a young man. "No one knows, lad. Since dawn we've been trying to put out the flames, but it seemed that as soon as one fire was defeated, two more rose in its place. It grew so bad that there were just far too many for us to handle." He summoned up a ghost of a smile. "I thank you -- all of you -- for aiding us."

"Lord Mayor!" someone shouted. A young boy just at the onset of puberty ran up excitedly. "We've found fresh tracks on the outskirts of the village. They're like nothing we've ever seen before." He grabbed the old man's hand and tugged. "You have to see them!"

The mayor's brow furrowed. "How can that be?" he muttered to himself as he followed. Sensing that he strange fires and the illness were connected somehow, Iliza, Sen, and Kilan were close behind.

~*~

"What is hell is going on?" Step. Step. Step. Turn. Step. Step. Step. Turn.

Goku watched Vegeta pace restlessly with a thoughtful expression. When he'd reached the point in the story about the fires, his agitated had risen. Now he paused to allow him time to vent about certain issues of the past.

"First, we have people that are as about as unSaiya-jin as you can get and two of them that aren't at all apprehensive about showing their love. Second, we have another group of people actually embracing a soul-bond when we've been taught practically from birth to never allow it to happen. Lastly so far, we have these extremely weird occurrences that seem to be caused by something described in a prophecy. Have I covered it all?"

He shrugged and nodded. "Good enough."

"I ask again..." Vegeta, at last, ceased to pace and stood facing Goku between the coffee table and the television. An uncharacteristic look of complete puzzlement covered his face. "What the hell is going on?"

His mate looked so lost it was funny. Goku smothered a chuckle and closed the book, marking his place with a take-out menu. "You -- _we_ \-- need to get away from this book for a while. How about we go visit Bra? You always like doing that."

"Fine, Kakarotto, but don't think I'm unaware of what you're doing."

"What are you talking about?" he asked innocently. "Don't you think that it's past due for a visit?"

"Don't give me that!" Then his voice gentled. "Thanks, um, for caring."

A loving smile was aimed his way. "Of course. That last thing I want is for you to burst a blood vessel from stress."

***

If Bra was surprised to see them she hid it well. A bright smile lit up her face in greeting and she hugged both Saiya-jin tightly. "Papa! Goku-tousan! It's nice to see you!"

"I had to get him out of the house," Goku stage-whispered. "He was starting to go a little crazy on me." That earned him a backhanded slap to the stomach for his trouble. Goku grunted slightly and grinned unrepentantly.

"So, where are the brats?" Vegeta asked as they crossed the threshold. Bra had continued her mother's work after she died and saw it best to remain in the Capsule Corporation despite the memories. "I haven't seen them in almost a month."

"It was their birthday," she remembered. Going over to the intercom, she punched in a code. "Midori! Taisei! Your grandfathers are here!"

The thunder of small feet approached as the twins ran to greet them. They were of the rarest kind, half-fraternal¹, and as a result they did look identical despite the fact that one twin was female while the other was male. In unison, both took flying leaps from the upstairs landing much to their mother's horror. Reflexively, she gasped and clenched her eyes shut.

"Wow! You're getting so big!" Goku laughed as Taisei wrapped his arms as tight as he could around his neck. Vegeta tickled the twin he'd caught, her happy giggles causing Bra to relax considerably and open her eyes again.

"How many times..." she began sternly.

Both Midori and Taisei said in very serious voices, "I'm sorry, Mama."

Sighing, she smiled at them. "Saiya-jin blood runs strong in my little warriors, ne? I know you two can fly but you're still too little to completely control your kis. Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't do that again... at least, not until you're older."

"Okay, Mama."

"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes."

Vegeta hadn't realized how much he loved spending time with his daughter and her kids until he hadn't seen them for a few weeks in a row. He and Goku both knew it was hard on Bra to raise two children on her own but she always insisted that things were fine. If only he knew the identity of the twins' father... There would be nowhere that deadbeat could hide. Vegeta's tendency toward violence was exactly why Bra never told him.

"How are things going?" she asked while cutting up meat for her toddlers. "No one's seen or heard from you two in a week."

When the small Saiya-jin declined to answer, Goku cheerfully explained just as Vegeta knew he would. " 'geta saved these books from Vegeta-sei a long time ago and we're reading them. They're about Saiya-jin history."

She was _very_ interested. Not much was really known about the other group of people she was descended from. "Really? In the native language?"

Vegeta nodded once. "In Saiya-jingo, hai."

"I didn't know you could read that, Goku-tousan."

"I couldn't until I asked Shenron," he explained. Goku then rose and began to untie the wide blue sash of his gi much to Bra's surprise. She looked at him incredulously as he dropped his pants while Vegeta merely looked amused... and more than a little turned on. "I also asked him for this." His long brown tail curved around his body and waved hello.

"Oh, wow," Bra said in complete awe. The twins echoed her sentiment. "It's just like the one you had as a kid." She went around the table just to stroke it. "Feels so soft."

Goku's eyes slid partially shut in pure bliss and he began to purr, a deep rumbling sound that came from deep within his chest. Vegeta let this go on for a few minutes then gently removed her hand.

"He's not a big cat you know." Rolling his eyes at the pouty look he received, Vegeta muttered. "I'll make it up to you later."

After the kids were put to bed, the three of them talked for a few hours about the story. Bra wanted it to be translated so that others (as well as herself) could read it. "This is causing you to re-examine your life, isn't it Papa?"

"Hai, it is. Everything was so clear-cut and well-defined before we started on these books."

"I'm glad you are," she told him. "Now maybe you can see that you _do_ deserve Goku-tousan's love, especially after the way you've been treated. There are still wounds on your heart and I think he's the key to finally healing them."

Vegeta didn't say a word but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. Goku smiled and caressed the side of his face. "I hope you'll let me."

A shaky nod. "Of course I will."

They kissed tenderly as if to seal a pact while Bra looked on in bittersweet happiness.

~*~

The boy hadn't been exaggerating when he said the tracks were unusual. No known person or animal alive could have produced such an imprint in the earth... and no wagon or cart could have, either.

Iliza bent down and laid her hand flat in the wide, rectangular print. Geometrically identical shapes left patterns of raised soil within it at regular intervals. Two tracks ran parallel due south.

"In a completely different direction from where we need to go," the doctor said with a frown.

The mayor smiled gently at her. "Ma'am, I can't ask you to follow them for us. You've already helped more than enough."

She rose and dusted the loose soil from her hands before regarding him sadly. "Lord Mayor, this matter is linked to every single one of us. Something is happening, something beyond our current understanding. I was sent to a place east of this village to aide the people there. You are so close to them I doubt it's a coincidence."

"What's happening?" he asked worriedly.

Sighing, Iliza said in frustration, "We have yet to find out."

Kilan studied the ground with a thoughtful expression. Sen felt the curiosity from him and felt the plan forming in his mind. "No, Ki," he said sharply once it had coalesced into a concrete thought.

"It makes sense if you just take a moment to consider it." He hadn't meant for him to find out through their bond, at least not until he was ready.

"Not to me!" the teenager cried. He repeated it sadly. "Not to me."

He headed back into the village, his head hanging. When Kilan made a move to follow, Iliza held up her hand to stop him. "Let him go until you come up with a damn good argument."

"You know as well as I do that someone should follow this trail."

"Yes," she agreed, "but you're Bonded. Never risk yourself lightly."

He stared off into middle distance, his eyes losing focus. "Soon it might not matter at all." Iliza could not find anything worth saying in response so she remained silent. But she knew as well as he did that his words just may well be the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹ Half-fraternal twins are created from an egg that divides before it's fertilized. That's how you end up with identical male and female twins.


	7. Chapter 7

When they set off early the following morning, the village was in slightly better shape than when they found it. Cartloads of ash had been hauled away from the square blackened areas of charred bricks and wood where buildings once sat and citizens were already rebuilding. The mayor extended his heartfelt thanks and gifted them with free room and board whenever they passed through. Usually the mere thought of a free meal would have sent a bolt of excitement through Sen, but now he didn't care. Kilan was leaving him and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

He'd pleaded, cried, and negotiated the night before. Sen did everything he could think of to get his mate to change his mind and nothing worked. Then, when he was curled into a miserable ball in the center of the bed, Kilan had come to him and explained. Iliza was needed elsewhere and someone had to accompany her since it wasn't safe on the road alone. Due to his injury, Sen wasn't in as good a shape as his soulmate to rejoin the group without aid.

It made sense, damn him.

Their lovemaking had been slow and sweet. Crystalline tears made constant paths down Sen's cheeks as his heart quietly tore itself in half. In the golden moment of peace after the intense session, Kilan had buried his face in his neck and breathed words of love into the soft flesh he found there. Tears of apology soon followed.

Neither obtained sleep that night.

Now, in the dawning, Sen knew that he would see Kilan again. It was an indescribable feeling of surety that did a lot to lift his spirits. He walked over to where Kilan sat with the other trackers and offered his hand in apology. "I was an idiot."

"No," he said as he clasped the proffered hand over his heart. "We have never been apart since our Bonding, ki'chin. To leave you is to tear out my own heart." He swallowed with difficulty. "But  as much as there is an 'us', there is also a 'you' and an 'I'."

"I understand," Sen whispered. "I'm giving you four days, Ki. If you're not at the outpost I'm coming back to get you." They kissed tenderly. The interested trackers averted their gazes with some difficulty to give the couple a semblance of privacy. When they parted, Kilan ruffled Sen's already-messy hair affectionately.

"Okay," he said to Iliza upon his return. "Everything's okay."

***

He wasn't in bad company, but wanted to be somewhere else just the same. His heart was being tugged eastward and his body yearned greatly to transport it there. Well, as soon as the tracks were further investigated, he was free to leave.

"Hey, Mister," a boy said shyly. He loped along beside Kilan with easy grace honed from years of traveling beside his father. "Is it true you're Bonded?"

A myriad of possible explanations for such an unexpected question ran through his mind, many of them bad. "Yes, it is. Sen's my mate."

His little face lit up. "That's cool. No one really bonds anymore; my father says nothing good can come from that. He and my mother are Bonded."

"I knew it was rare, but I didn't know that things weren't always that way."

He nodded. "The Elders tell these great stories a lot, but they look so sad when they do. When I asked Mother about it she told me that it was hard remembering something lost." With curious eyes, he looked up at Kilan. "What do you think? Is that true?"

A stern voice saved him from answering. "Vasi! Come up here, boy, and leave him alone. I'm sure he's tired of your questions." Kilan flashed the man a tiny, grateful smile.

Hard remembering something lost... Yes, it was very hard indeed. While he had not suffered, someone very close to him had. Sen lost confidence, not in himself but in others. The disapproving voice of Kilan's father had ordered him taken and beaten for just being true to himself. For one very long, scary moment as the pain became unceasing, he had even lost faith in Kilandreau. When things were bad a hero was always supposed to rescue him, right? Wasn't that the way things were supposed the work for the innocent?

The night Sen had told him this, Kilan had simply closed his eyes and offered thanks to gods he wasn't sure he believed in. It had been close that day, too close. As he raced through the city there were moments that he thought he would be too late. To see Sen's body lying broken and lifeless somewhere would have utterly destroyed him. Something guided him in the right direction, some gut instinct told him which way to turn. He trusted it like few things before and arrived just in the nick of time.

Even then they'd had a bond and it had probably saved Sen's life.

Low voices jerked him back to the present. The village trackers -- three men and one boy -- were staring and conversing all at once. Kilan's eyes followed the distinctive print to where the four stood between the twin ruts. Then he looked around them and gasped very softly.

"What the hell?"

A large circular imprint marred the grassy plain. The diameter of it was easily wide enough to accommodate six people of average height lying down head-to-foot. Nothing he'd ever seen before could make something remotely similar to both the size and the shape.

"What is it?" he heard Vasi ask as the boy went forward to explore. His father grabbed him firmly.

"It's a sign of evil," he said with obvious distaste. "You're not going near it."

A gut feeling made Kilan look upward to the sky. For a moment he thought that he could detect the movement of a very large object but decided that the sunlight was playing tricks on him. Shrugging, he went over to the others to confer on their next step. He didn't like it here and would rather be back by Sen's side. The teenager tended to have bad dreams when he wasn't around.

***

Neither of them spoke as they started on the long road to the fourth outpost. The atmosphere just wasn't conducive to venting, in Sen's opinion, which was really too bad since he had a lot of things he wanted to get off his chest. The teenager considered the worst that could happen (she could always just ignore him, right?) and decided to take a chance. "Sometimes I wonder if he loves me as much as I love him," he said suddenly, completely startling Iliza. "I know that I'm probably being stupid, but I just can't help thinking about."

For long moment he thought she wouldn't respond. That was okay; he'd gotten what he'd wanted out in the open. Then, she began to speak slowly and distinctly so that she wasn't misunderstood.

"You're not being stupid, Sen, just insecure." Iliza smiled at him. "There are so many good things about you that I have seen, and more that I have not. You are kind and sweet, caring and gentle, intelligent and wise... Being friends with you is a privilege, but being in love with you is an honor."

Unnaturally bright eyes blinked back tears. "You have a way with words," he murmured, overwhelmed by her sentiment. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"I hope that you do because I was being one-hundred percent honest." She patted his shoulder. As she shifted her pack to continue onward, her body suddenly stiffened in alarm as her still-sharp senses alerted her to the presence of something... or someone.

"Bandits," she cursed. "A small raiding party; only about four of them."

Sen stared, fascinated at her. "How can you tell?" Iliza glared at him, irritated at being distracted, and he cringed. "Nevermind."

"Can you fight?"

"Of course I can," he responded, feeling more than a little insulted. "I don't know how my leg'll hold up, but I can help you."

She cursed more vehemently than before when he reminded her of his injury. "We'll have to try and talk our way out of this first. Follow my lead."

The shrouded figures came up over a small rise that bled the brief grassland into the greenery of a nearby forest, their hands lightly gripping the hilts of the swords at their waists. Nothing was said, but the eyes of the leading bandit focused briefly on them before moving to the knapsacks just visible over the tops of their heads. Thin brows rose questioningly.

"Excuse me, but what do you want?" Iliza asked as calmly as she could. Her voice was nonchalant, but her body sang with tension like a wild animal poised to pounce. "I'm having a hard time discerning your meaning."

The figure just behind and to the right of the leader spoke. "Is this meaning clear? Give us your bags or give us your lives."

"Really now! There's no need to be rude. I'm sure we can come to some sort of understanding." Four short swords were drawn almost in unison. "Perhaps not," she muttered.

They slowly approached them, weighing the skill of their adversaries. The leader spoke once more. "You heard him. Your bags or your lives; which is it gonna be?"

Iliza's hand grabbed the hilt of the dagger sheathed at the small of her back beneath her lightweight cloak. It would be an awkward draw at best with the knapsack partially blocking it, but there was no other way. "Get ready," she mouthed to Sen as she gripped her weapon tightly in her hand. Then she crouched, coiling energy into her legs like a frog, and launched into action.

Sen watched her lighting-fast movement as she got within one bandit's weak guard and stabbed him in the side of the neck. Wrenching her blade free along with a copious flow of crimson blood, she aimed the gore-coated weapon in the direction of another enemy and left the previous one for dead.

The teenager shook free of his surprised awe and brought out his own weapon. The eight-inch shining dagger with it's oddly beautiful hilt had been given to him by Kilan (who felt that his beloved's abduction and subsequent assault could have been prevented had Sen been able to properly defend himself). Hours had been spent in the Underground with Olia (the weapons master) on proper defense and offense... and on how to draw it without accidentally injuring himself. Kilan had been relieved at his competence and even Sen himself had privately admitted that carrying it around did make him feel somewhat safer.

He hesitated. Training was a far different matter than a real battle. People could die -- and had. Nervously, he shifted the dagger's position in his hand and searched for a reasonably easy opponent.

' _Wow,_ ' he thought, inhaling sharply. The smell of freshly-spilled blood tickled his nose. Two were already down, but the remaining two had teamed up against Iliza. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to draw air into her lungs and calm her pounding heart. He felt the very blood in his veins freeze as she went down. He raised his arm high as he quickly considered the available options. There was only one chance to save her and, as an extension, himself.

A prayer swept through his mind. ' _Aim, be true!_ ' He heaved the dagger with all of the strength within his wiry frame, clenching his eyes shut the moment it left his hand. A loud gurgle was heard scant seconds later after, apparently, the weapon found a mark. It was equally likely that he'd harmed his ally with his wild shot.

"Iliza?" he said, voice no more than a whisper. The teenager opened his eyes apprehensively, really not sure what sort of sight would greet him. To his disbelief, his aim had been good and the hilt of his dagger was the only part of it visible -- the entire blade had become embedded in another bandit's chest.

The doctor made short work of the remaining man, slitting his throat from ear-to-ear with quick precision. "Too close," she sighed while tugging free Sen's dagger. Dark crimson, almost black blood poured forth from the wound. "That's heart blood."

"Hail, travelers!" came a call. Another group of people were approaching, this time on the narrow road. "Is everything all right?"

"We're fine -- now." Iliza called back. She squinted in the sunlight and muttered to herself, "Is that...? Why yes, it is!"

The group transformed into the faces of two men and a woman. " 'liza? So you've heard?" The huge man with the full beard on the right side of the small female asked.

"I haven't really heard _anything_ , I'm afraid." She shook her head. "Yori, Marci, and Kelen meet Sen. He and his Bondmate have offered their services."

There was a moment of silence then, "BONDMATE?!" Marci was the one responsible for the outburst. Her freckled face comically slackened in shock.

She smiled very slightly and motioned the silent boy forward. "We have a lot to exchange, I wager. On the way, you can tell me about the situation."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about what someone said to me in a review (I'm sorry that I don't remember _who_ , exactly.) about this being a fanfic inside of a fanfic. In a way, that's true. I was thinking of it this way: you know how they go back in time with flashbacks in a movie? That's how I think of Sen and Kilan's story. You're sort of immersed in it even though it's only a handwritten account by someone else.

Sen thought Iliza's friends were pretty nice overall. Marci was forever asking him questions about Kilan, seemingly truly interested in him. When he told the small woman about how he was saved in Crenix Capital, she clasped her hands to her chest and sighed. "That's so romantic! In a horrible kind of way, I mean."

"You two should get some sleep," Yori called quietly to them across the campfire. Iliza was already unconscious and the mysterious Kelen was staring into the dancing flames. He motioned to the spread bedrolls. "Kelen will keep watch."

Reluctantly they turned in for the night. It _had_ been a long day, though. The trio from the fourth outpost had kept the pace rapid and he was very unused to working his body so hard. His legs ached something fierce and he knew that it was nothing compared to the way they would feel in the morning.

He wondered how Kilan was doing. The young man was more active than his semi-slothful mate and was more than able to walk all day without much rest. On the first leg of the trip, Sen had been kept distracted from his fatigue by games, songs, stories... anything and everything Kilan could come up with.

' _I hope you're okay,_ ' he said to himself as he looked up at the few stars visible between the leafy boughs of the treetops. Sen laughed at himself after a brief moment's thought. ' _Of_ course _you're okay! I would know instantly if you weren't._ '

Sleeping alone again was something he never thought would happen. It reminded him of his small bed in his former room and, as a result, that made him think of his old home and his evil older sister. He was surrounded by people on both sides yet he was completely alone.

' _Ki,_ ' he broadcasted as hard as he could. They'd never tried to talk over long distances before and there had never been any need to. ' _Love, can you hear me?_ '

For a moment he felt nothing and the fear stabbed painfully into his heart. If he hadn't been still able to feel the connection between them in his soul, he would have run blindly into the night in an attempt to track down his Bondmate. Sen's breath came in fast pants as he lay tense for one long moment. Then...

' _Ki-ki'chin?_ ' It was faint and slow, but he could hear him.

' _Thank god! I thought I couldn't reach you and I miss you so much._ '

' _I miss you, too. With all of my heart._ ' There was a brief pause. ' _I'd just fallen asleep, I think. That's why it took a long time for me to answer._ '

He felt bad for waking him. ' _I'm sorry. It's just that I can't really sleep without you here beside me. You make the best pillow._ ' Sen laughed in absolute relief. ' _Okay, sorry to bother you. I'll see you soon._ '

' _Never a bother. I love you, ki'chin._ '

' _And I love you._ '

It wasn't as good as him being right there, but the warmth left behind was more than enough to push him over the edge of slumber.

***

Kelen's voice was definitely bladder-weakening at worst. It emerged from deep within the cowl of the cape over his head and from behind the scarf wrapped around his neck and over his mouth. He wore black leather and steel armor of high quality over his torso, covering a black one-piece suit beneath that had shortened sleeves and long pants. Worn but comfortable black boots ended at mid-calf. No one had ever seen him in anything else, though on occasion the undersuit varied in color. He'd been at the outpost for as long as any of his companions had (perhaps longer!) but no one, not even Wilch, knew where he'd originally come from. Eventually Kelen had become sort of a joke amongst his fellow guards. He dressed, spoke, and acted the way he did for attention, nothing more.

But now, his body radiated the dangerous energy all secretly knew him capable of possessing. His long-sword was drawn, the blade at the throat of the intruder he'd discovered trying to infiltrate the campsite under his protection.

"I'm telling you that you're making a mistake!" Kilan stared up at the three-foot length of dully gleaming blade at the frightening made wielding it. "Iliza and Sen know me."

Without taking his eyes from him, Kelen used the toe of his boot to nudge Sen to wakefulness. "We have company, boy."

When his beloved simply mumbled something and tried to return to sleep, Kilan used every fiber of his being to cry out to him. ' _Sen, if you don't want me to die, please wake up now!_ '

That was the call needed in order to rectify this potentially horrible situation. The teenager sat up abruptly and rubbed at his eyes. By the faint light of pre-dawn, he saw the murder waiting to happen just a few feet away.

"Don't kill him, Kelen! He's my mate!"

Fathomless black eyes started at Sen for a moment before the sword was sheathed on his back. "I apologize," he said before retaking his seat on the far side of the fire pit.

Still shaky from his near-death experience, Kilan made sure he was as far away from Kelen as he could get and still be at the same campsite. "He's scary."

"Nah," Sen said as he snuggled up to his soulmate and tried to warm his chilled fresh. "He's actually pretty nice once you get to know him." He didn't see Kilan's skeptical look but could easily imagine it.

The following day, what had happened during the battle fully impacted him. Sen awoke to a trembling in his body that wouldn't cease and steady flashbacks to the scenes of the previous afternoon.

"I killed someone," he whispered aloud. Then he groaned. It was as if Kilan's return was the permission he needed to fall apart.

"Sen," his mate whispered soothingly. Awakened by dark emotions and sporadic flashes, Kilan was terrified that Sen was regressing. After all, it had been violence that had wounded him in the first place.

He spoke low and haltingly. "I was so afraid. They tried to kill us over our property. Iliza had already killed two of them but the men left were better at fighting. They were winning so I did the only thing I could think of--" He swallowed harshly, still able to smell the blood. "--I threw my knife and it got one in the chest. He went down and Iliza was able to finish off the last one."

"You feel bad."

"Of course I do! How is it my right to decide who lives and dies?" A spark ignited within the depths of his eyes. "But that doesn't matter when you're about to kill me or someone I care about."

Kilan nodded in understanding. "You will never be like them, Sen, because you feel. They were cold-blooded bastards to attempt to kill someone over material possessions."

"I- I was a little afraid..."

"Don't be. You are the epitome of goodness and light. _No one_ can truly be something they are not."

Feeling significantly better about what he'd done (thought not good about it), he smiled and thought of something. "Lucky; it's perfect."

"What?"

"My dagger. I'm going to name it 'Lucky' since it was a damn lucky shot that brought me back to you."

Shivering imperceptibly at the thought of luck gone bad, Kilan agreed. "Quite lucky."

***

Just when the enforced serious mood and increased speed was really starting to bear down on Sen, Yori mentioned that they should arrive at the outpost by mid-afternoon. The youngest of the odd group sighed happily and squeezed Kilan's hand gently.

"We'll get a hot bath before dinner," he said. "I believe my memory map of your body may be a little out of date."

"Oh, really? We mustn't let _that_ remain uncorrected." Of the people in front of them on the trail, only Marci thought their words romantic; Iliza and Yori were neutral and Kelen was in a completely different world altogether.

"What has changed?" Iliza asked the large man beside her.

Yori thought back to the day his friend had left. She hadn't really fit in at all with the other women, having become a runner/scout at the age of seventeen when it was plainly obvious that the outpost's only doctor wasn't going to allow a girl to apprentice beneath him. When the pain of not being able to realize her dream had become too much to bear, Iliza had gone searching for apprenticeship at the age of fifty. It would have been advised that she retire in several years from overly strenuous work anyway, but she wasn't going to wait until the day when her age-dulled reflexes refused to respond. Too much sometimes rode on her skill.

"Oh, nothing much," he responded. Then he hit her with news sure to make her day. "Janobi retired a few years back."

Her dark eyes began to twinkle madly. "Oh, really?"

"Yep. A year after that he went out to check on the herd that the neighboring village has in our pasturelands and was trampled to death by a disgruntled cow."

Undignified giggles exploded from behind the hands she'd slapped over her mouth. "A-a disgruntled cow?! How appropriate!" Gales of laughter shook her again.

Kelen regarded her with the very same fathomless stare he regarded everyone with equally. "The dead should be honored always."

"Usually I would agree, but that bastard deserves nothing but bad thoughts. He treated me, and every other female, with the least amount of respect he could get away with. I don't honor a man who very nearly stole my dream."

He would not be swayed. "He is no longer present to defend himself. It is not right."

"Please guys," Marci interjected nervously. "We're almost home. Let's drop this argument, alright?"

Iliza pushed her aside gently, but still pushed nonetheless. "You have no right to censure me! Your favorite hobby is killing people!"

Gulping, Kilan mouthed the words, "I knew it!"

They could see the beginnings of anger in his eyes and that terrified them all except for Iliza who was far too angry to listen to the Voice of Self-Preservation in her head that was urging her to get the hell away from the psycho. She stepped as close as she could get without their bodies touching and poked Kelen hard in the chest with her index finger.

"Keep the fuck out of my business," she hissed.

Fathomless pools of onyx gazed down at her, the expression of anger changed to one of very faint amusement. "You stupid woman," he said downright pleasantly. It was as if he had inquired about her family instead of making an insult. "What I feel defies description as does what I am. My eyes see everything tinted in the brilliant red color of fresh blood. The throbbing, fluttering pulse just below the skin of your throat draws me yet I resist. Every day the urge to kill something or someone wells within me, threatening to burst my body wide open if not satiated. The sound of death cries, the feel of warm skin gone cold, of scalding blood pouring over my body like the rain of war inspires feelings like none other." Kelen's head was thrown back, his eyes closed and his hands flexing convulsively as he remembered sweet pleasure. "Death is not a hobby to me," he said slowly and distinctly so that she, and the others would understand. "Death is my entire reason for being. It is my life."

"What does this mean?" Iliza asked. "How can Wilch accept your oath if you would kill him without care?"

"Because I wouldn't," he said in his usual quiet way. "Because some people mean more to me than a moment's pleasure." He spun on one booted heel without another word and marched off to the only place he'd ever really called home.

Iliza stared after him, partially understanding... and hating the cold knot of fear in the pit of her stomach caused by a realization.

Maybe someday Kelen's dread state would be hers.

***

The town of Mi'ihen retained a village feel. Centuries ago it had been built around the fourth outpost so that refugees from the outlands could gain protection from it's soldiers. Both existed within a forest some say was raised by the magic of wood nymphs. Only the people dwelling in the trees of the town knew the truth and no one was giving away any information to outsiders.

A gigantic tree with a trunk as wide as the neighboring Lynx River and branches full of leaves that never died marked the center of the village and was the main section of the outpost. A castle had been built around it by a previous lord and was kept in good repair by all subsequent ones. The smaller, younger trees, thick vines, and the very earth itself had been shaped by careful hands using magic long lost.

"Hail, Marci. Hail, Yori. The Dark One mentioned that you weren't far behind." The smiling man on the battlements turned slightly and motioned to unseen people behind the outpost gates. Heavy wood slowly creaked open, sliding into slots that partially hollowed the thick stone walls. "Wilch respectfully requests your presence in his chambers."

"Thank you," the formerly cheerful runner said. She turned to the guests. "We will speak to him first. You can wander for a little while before coming to the Chamber of Life."

Iliza caught her arm as Marci turned to leave. "Where is Kelen?"

"His rooms are in the Tower -- the east wing." She searched the older woman's eyes for her level of sincerity. "I don't know if it'll mean much. He's worked so hard at shutting people out."

"I must try. It was hardly fair of me to judge him." Marci nodded and, with one final uncertain look, left with Yori to see their lord.

No one spoke for a long moment. Mi'ihen's energetic citizenry maneuvered around them intent on daily tasks. It definitely did not look like a town struck by a plague. When the uncomfortable silence had stretched long enough, Sen said quietly, "Do you need us?"

"No, but thank you," she said with an expression of resignation. "There is a nice inn called Quicksilver at the end of this street. The innkeeper there is known as Linus and he will give you a good room once he knows that you're with me."

"What do we say? I doubt he'll believe us if we only mention that we know you," Kilan said rationally.

" 'The moon up high shines full on you / Illuminating your beauty and hiding nothing from adoring eyes.' This is from his favorite poem called, 'A Rose For My Love'." Iliza smiled briefly. "Only I know he likes it."

"Oh, really? Well my favorite is 'Ode to Kilandreau'," Sen grinned as his mate blushed slightly. "We'll see you later, then. I'm going to give you an hour before tracking you down."

"I thought you said that Kelen was nice," Kilan said.

The teenager grinned again. "He's in a lot more danger from her than she is from him, Ki." Sen easily dodged Iliza's halfhearted swat. "Ya see? She's a violent tendency!"

"Oh, I'm going to show you 'violent', all right," she muttered but there was no venom behind it. "Go. I'll see you later."

The pair watched her walk away until she turned up a side street. For a moment Sen appeared thoughtful, then the expression became mischievous. "Ki, let's-"

"-follow her." Kilan tried valiantly not to look smug.

"No fair! We're bonded!"

"When it comes to things like this, ki'chin, I don't need a bond."


	9. Chapter 9

There were two stoic guards in the hall, one on either side of the double doors. The men wore thick armor of brown leather than covered them from neck to ankle. On their heads was nothing more than inch-wide leather headbands decorated with the emerald dyed  feathers of their rank as personal guards to the lord. On their feet were sturdy leather boots made from the same hide as the body armor. An ornate short sword hung at the left side of both men.

"State your business," the guard on the right intoned. Even though both Marci and Yori were well known it would not do to be lax during this time of fear and uncertainty. One slip could cause Wilch is life.

"He summoned us," Marci answered, completely unintimidated. "I honor my lord so that he may protect me from evil."

"Without his favor we are nothing," the guard replied in turn, completing the ritual. He nodded once to her then to Yori. "You may enter."

"Thank you." She pulled open one of the heavy wooden doors just wide enough for her larger companion to squeeze through and crossed the threshold.

A thick carpet of greens and golds covered the wooden floor in the middle of the small sitting room. It had been a gift from the Weaver's Circle at the most recent Spring celebration. The fourth outpost, and the small town nearby, had never been so prosperous and many owed their good fortune to Wilch's economic proposals. If he had not drawn up trade agreements with several neighboring settlements a few families would have not survived the harsh winter. Mi'ihen's citizens were craftsmen and women (and occasionally gatherers), not farmers or hunters.

A comfortable sofa was placed before a cold stone fireplace that, during the winter months, was exquisite to sit by. A lovingly polished antique end table from his mother's childhood home flanked the tan sofa on both sides. It was here that Wilch sat waiting, looking far older and more worn than his true age of fifty-three.

"Was your mission successful?" he asked, getting directly to the point as was his way. The warm look that softened his face ran contrary to his abrupt tone. "Will Biran help?"

"She sure will." March dropped down to sit beside him as Yori hovered on the opposite site. "Iliza was sent as per your request. Is she truly the best chance we have?"

"Yes, my child. Iliza's trained in ancient arts that have been lost to us. She is also aware of the newer treatments. All our own doctors have been able to do is somewhat determine where the sickness has settled. They can still neither identify nor treat." He closed his eyes as if trying to block out the truth of his own words.

"Still?" Yori asked. "They still have no treatment? It's been nearly a month since Bethany was dispatched!"

Wilch's eyes opened once more and the aggrieved onyx orbs focused first on the man he had come to call his son, then on the woman he considered his daughter. "Now that you have safely brought her to me, there is hope." He smiled. "Were you aware that not a single one of the ill has perished?"

"No. Is it really true?" Marci asked excitedly. Then she frowned. "Something more is wrong. All had symptoms of the swamp plague and those alone were known to kill within two weeks. A body can't take high fever and ceaseless coughing indefinitely."

"The prophecy," Wilch said quietly. "Whoever caused this is prolonging it for a hidden purpose. They suffer in a constant state of agony between the time that the sleeping potion wears off and the herbalists have gathered more nightweed. I would put them out of their misery if I knew for certain that their illness is incurable." He cursed vehemently and angrily scrubbed away helpless tears with the back of his hand. "My people need me and I cannot help them!"

Marci and Yori felt their hearts break at the sight. Without a word, they both wrapped their arms around their lord and held him close. To comfort themselves, they imagined the many ways of killing those responsible after a cure was found.

***

The Tower was exactly that: a tower on the west side of the castle. It was the home to over a hundred guards while the rest lived in the village with their families. On the east side were the slightly larger rooms of the respected judging by some of the adornments of its residents. Iliza was more than a little surprised to find that Kelen lived in such an environment.

"Excuse me," she said to the next person she saw after finally abandoning her solo search. "Can you tell me where Kelen lives?"

The slight young man's eyebrow rose in disbelief. "You're looking for the Dark One? Really?"

Not at all in the mood, she glared at him. "Yes."

"Are you his girlfriend?" he grinned. "We have a bet going that he's either gay or dead." Before he could blink, Iliza had him by the collar and up against the wall.

"Look," she growled, "I don't have time to waste with you. Tell me where Kelen is before you find yourself with several broken bones!"

"You two are made for each other," he muttered. "Take this hall to the end. He's the last one on the left."

"Thank you," she said as she released him. "Have a nice day." With a look back to be sure she wasn't following, the young guard quickly headed downstairs.

A few of the doors along the hall were ajar, but Kelen's was firmly closed. She even had a feeling it was locked despite the fact that he could probably take down any intruder. She knocked on the door. "Kelen, it's Iliza. I want to speak with you for a moment." There was no sound or movement behind the door so she figured that either he was out or just had no desire to see her. Just as she decided to give up, the door was unlocked and opened a crack. She stepped into Kelen's home and was completely surprised.

' _He's got really good taste,_ ' she noted silently. His main room was decorated in striking red and serious black. Near the door were two chairs upholstered in a soft crimson fabric with a small table between them. Across the room she saw a black screen patterned with exotic red birds in flight that, apparently, separated his bedroom from the rest. Kelen stepped from behind the screen and indicated that she have a seat. Once away from the door she noticed his sword mounted above it.

"You wished to see me?" he asked while intently staring at her. Iliza stared just as intently back. While he still wore his armor, the cowl was gone. Chin-length raven hair hung before strangely soft brown eyes.

"Um, yes." The speech she'd previously prepared suddenly became unusable. "I-I wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior. I realize now that it was uncalled for."

Tilting his head to one side, he assessed her seriousness. "I'm aware of what they say about me behind my back," Kelen said, "and some of it I cannot refute, but you are the first to ever apologize." To her amazement, he smiled. It was little more than a brief upturning of the corners of his mouth, but it still happened.

"Sen is a really good judge of character," she mumbled. Slowly, she offered her hand to him. "Can we put this behind us? One day I would even like us to be friends."

Two steps forward and Kelen's larger hand was grasping her own briefly. It was warm and soft -- like his eyes. What she saw on the surface was only the beginning, it seemed.

"One day," he agreed. Then he half-turned to face the door as an out-of-place sound registered in his mind. Before Iliza could even ask what was wrong, Kelen was opening the door.

"Eavesdroppers," he said and his voice was tinged with faint amusement.

Kilan and Sen tumbled into his home, the teenager landing heavily atop his mate. They both flushed in moderate embarrassment. "Hi," Sen said brightly after a moment. "Would you like to buy a yearly subscription?"

"Of what?" Iliza asked, on the verge of laughter.

"Of whatever you want."

Kelen shook his head very slightly at the picture the two made on the floor. "Are you the 'back up'?"

"She didn't request us," Sen said hastily before all of Iliza's work was undone in a few short seconds. "I just wanted to know what was going on so bad..." He rose to his feet and pulled Kilan up with him.

The earnest look on his face caused Kelen's lips to twitch again. "We are leaving," he announced. "My lord should debrief me as soon as possible. The others have already gone ahead?"

Iliza nodded once. "Yes. I would have accompanied them, but I wanted to clear the air before things became worse."

He retrieved his sword and buckled it on as his doorway was vacated. Iliza started to move past him and he caught her sleeve. "Thank you," he said so softly that, for a moment, she thought her mind was playing tricks.

He locked the door to his room with a heavy brass key he wore hidden inside his armor and joined his companions with a brisk stride. The three of them noticed that he was without his cowl but chose to say nothing.

Kelen very nearly smiled as he thought of budding friendships and knew in his heart that there would be no need to hide any longer.

***

"Hello, Wilch," Iliza said warmly as they entered the Chamber of Life. Knowing that the guards would never allow strangers into his private bedchambers, they met in the formal place of gathering. The Lord of Mi'ihen did know that it was sound advice in such dangerous times, but couldn't help but be a little irritated.

The Chamber of Life was a circular room that had no windows as it was located in an interior section of the castle. It was carved from the core of an old tree, one that had stood in the Great Forest for millennia. Some say that it had been planted on the boundary between the countries of  Silveer and Broden for peace after the legendary Wasteful War of One-Hundred Years. "For as long as this tree thrives so shall the Treaty of Senshaw." Never again had a war been fought between the two nations.

Her old friend's mouth smiled but his eyes did not alight. "It's always nice to see you but the circumstances are lacking." He pushed himself out of the ornately carved chair on the raised dais as if he had aged a thousand years. Forest creatures danced in fanciful abandon amongst lush vegetation in the carvings on the chair. Wilch began to pace from one end of the room to the other.

"I will explain to you the situation as I know it. Once said it cannot, under any circumstances whatsoever, be repeated to any of the citizens. Mass panic would help no one."

"I understand," she said. "You have our full confidence."

Wilch rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Exactly twenty-three days ago, one of my guards didn't show up for his shift. Davir, the man on duty before him, asked his shiftmate and Borais' to stay and keep watch while he went to his friend's home. Bor is one of the few guards that has a home outside the castle while still single." The lord could remember waking up the morning of that day utterly relaxed and reluctant to rise. He figured that another few hours in bed couldn't hurt anything and had promptly rolled over, falling asleep once more.

_The young man had run faster then ever before to his Borais' home, deathly afraid of what he would find. It wasn't like Bor to shirk his duty. His small, one person home was nestled in a small tree above another "bachelor pad" and it looked quiet and quite empty._

"He heard a sound not unlike that of a hurt puppy. In an instant, Davir was entering Borais' home. The other young man was--" Wilch swallowed hard and forced himself to continue despite the pain of remembering. "-- deathly pale and his skin radiated unnatural heat that explained the sweat on his skin. Yet his teeth chattered as chills, along with coughs, wracked his body. Davir kneeled beside his huddled form on the pallet and wept."

_"Bor? What happened to you? How long have you been this way?" He pulled his friend's weak body upward so that he half reclined against his own body. The intensity of the heat radiating off him was frightening._

_He tried to speak and was interrupted by coughing. Borais shuddered uncontrollably as spasms shook his body and could not force a word from his sore throat._

_Deathly afraid, Davir carefully leaned him against the wall and ran out onto the rope bridge walkway and called for help. When, after several minutes of waiting for a reply, the young man finally noticed how silent it was in this section of town. No children played on the forest floor, no neighbors visited to pass the time. He could hear nothing but the faint wind whistling in the trees and the calls of birds._

_"Hello?" Davir called as he paid a worried visit to Borais' nearest neighbor, Vilian. The old woman was the chief weaver and the keeper of all the ancient knowledge of the Mi'ihen people. "Is everything okay?" Receiving no response, Davir opened the door to the cozy home and asked the spirits to forgive him for trespassing._

"Was she-?" Sen broke off as his voice cracked.

"No," said Wilch. "Saiya-jin are strong even at old age. Mistress Vilian wasn't dead but neither was she conscious. We still haven't been able to rouse her."

Silently they processed this until  Sen gently prompted the lord. "What happened next?"

"Davir had begged and pleaded with my personal guards but he could not pass. He'd screamed for me repeatedly until his voice broke and grew hoarse, but no sound could penetrate the thick wooden cocoon that surrounded me. Finally, his spirit crushed, he went elsewhere for help.

"Our new doctor and her apprentices were roused and urged frantically to come. Davir painted a description of an epidemic rightfully so; a full third of Mi'ihen's population was ill. After further investigation, Jesa ruled out an airborne virus simply because only one section of the town's people are sick."

Iliza tapped her finger against the side of her face thoughtfully. "You have no idea what this is."

"Perhaps you could do a few tests and enlighten us."

"Are you sure that Jesa won't mind? This _is_ her turf I'm intruding upon." The woman rolled her eyes when Wilch only shrugged. "Nevermind, I'll ask her myself. Lead on."


End file.
